Midwifery & childbirth, family

Reduced productivity, I wish

For some unknown reason I had imagined that as the years passed I would find myself myself slowing down and having more ‘me’ time. I don’t know where I got that idea from but I was really way off the mark, my life now is full of commitments. When I increased my work hours I knew that my life was going to need to be strictly organised and that I would need to be religious in using a planner to ensure that all my duties slotted into place. What I hadn’t allowed for was Hubby doing his back in so badly that he couldn’t help out when the going got tough, in fact he became yet another commitment. Anyway, so what with juggling 2 jobs; 1 incapacitated husband; household tasks; gardening and 7 grandchildren I have found little time to blog.

Today, today has been declared an ‘I have no intention of doing anything that I don’t want to do’ day. Yes, I will be working on 2 databases but that is my choice, sort of, because if I don’t get on with them I will look a right idiot on Monday when I have to present the results of an audit. They are work but there is not enough time to do them during work hours and staying late at work would not help with the production of these beasties because, if you are seen then people feel they have to interupt you, plus it prompts them to dump more c**p at your door. Strange mentality in the NHS, perhaps everywhere, I don’t know. If I noticed someone having to work late, and over their hours, to complete a job then I would acknowledge that they had too much work. I may not be able to substantially reduce it, but I would definitely not go giving them more to do, where I work the opposite appears to be the case.

Work. The cut-backs continue, the unhappiness of the midwives and the women increases. We have just passed through a huge baby influx and it appears we should be back to normal levels until December when there is another little blip. May/June next year are bumper months which was unfortunate as the booking of these women co-incided with the bumper crop of newborns, making a double whammy for community midwives. I’ve had a couple of exciting call-outs requiring me to accompany women on blue-light transfers. In both cases the women were not in danger but the transfers were in the rush hour so 2’s and blues were used to reduce delay. One woman had rocked up at the wrong place in quite advanced labour and had received no antenatal care at all, was newly arrived from an African country and spoke no English. The other had turned up at a clinic, having taken her own discharge from hospital 2 days previously, and her blood pressure was through the roof. With the first lady I saw very little of the journey as halfway to the obstetric unit she started to make the sounds you associate with pushing so I was kneeling on the floor next to her trying to convince her with body language that she should breathe, breathe. I was also sliding up and down the ambulance as it braked for which I bore the bruises for quite some time, but which did make her laugh between contractions. As I was safely strapped in with the second transfer I had a wonderful view of the ‘Moses’ effect i.e two streams of traffic parting to allow the ambulance through. I also witnessed how stupid some drivers are, one even trying to outrun the ambulance, the paramedic told me that is not unusual. Unbelievable!

Work, job number 2. The job is thought provoking and challenging, however my dealings with HR and payroll have been even more thought-proking and challenging. After 3 months of being relaxed about not being paid, no contract etc. I lost my calm, laid back demenour and went for the throat. I have recollections of uttering such blasphemies as ‘grievance’, ‘union’ and then the ultimate ‘I’m stressed’. It does seem to have worked in that I received lots of back pay 2 weeks ago, I eagerly await the 24th of this month. Who is behind this bungle? A totally US manager, even more US than my other manager, in fact so US that my community manager is now beginning to take on the mantle of the most amazing manager, ever.

Home. Well Hubby had to be carried off the golf course after resurrecting his old back problem. He was in agony and was unable to feel anything down one leg, from his buttock to his little toe. G.P? Anti-inflammatories, this was a phone-call trige because there were no appointments and it wasn’t considered urgent. 4 appointments later, when I dutifully waited outside, and 7 weeks later, I marched into the consulting room with my drop-footed, unable to walk properly husband and waited until the G.P had told my husband it ‘would take time’, and ‘at your age’ (58) whilst staring intently at his computer screen, not even shifting his gaze when husband demonstrated the extent of his ‘dead’ leg, then I waded in. ‘What’s the diagnosis then?’ Still not looking away from the screen the doc responded with ‘Well, it’s possibly the same as he had before’. ‘Sure of that are you? Are you not concerned that previously the symptoms were not as severe but that he did require surgery?’ Oh yes, then I had his attention. A withering look was sent in my direction. ‘We could try physio, but it would possibly be a waste of time’. ‘It may well be a waste of time but now we are at the point where this is having a detremental effect on our lives. My husband has his own business and is unable to work. He can do nothing, not even pick up his grandchildren. So far you have done nothing, not even attempt a definitive diagnosis. I am thinking MRI to rule out a problem which, rather than resolve, could get worse.’ Over to the G.P, ‘Well the wait for an MRI is about 6 weeks and it may be better by then.’ I am surprised that he didn’t push the emergency button at that point because I erupted. A verbatum transcript is impossible, mainly because anger and indignation took over, but the essence was that if they hadn’t waited so ******long already he would now be having his MRI and physio and we would know what we were dealing with and, just because you are only just out of short trousers, don’t regard anyone who has grey hair as too old to spend money on. Now pension ages have been changed everyone else, except NICE and NHS choices, thinks we have at least 10 years of productivity ahead of us, so don’t dare write my husband off. Hubby now has his physio and MRI appointment.

The grandchildren are all well, and growing but of them are growing quite as quickly as grandchild number 8, who is currently nestled in DIL’s womb and scheduled to appear at the beginning of May. Yes, another one. See below for how the others have grown.

As MOTB says good to hear from you as I was beginning to wonder!
Sorry that life has got any easier for you and in some ways just the opposite.
I’m sure that all those grandchildren must bring sunshine into your life!
Take care. xx

Wow good for you with that line of questioning to GP. Would have loved to have been a fly on the wall.
Have a friend with ‘similar’ ailment – she too was fobbed off. Anti inflammatories etc. She saw chiropractor and was v v skeptical. She couldn’t even walk without pain so thus didn’t walk. Some physio and odd exercises like yoga and stationary bike riding (how I laughed as she too could not feel one leg) but she has gotten better since. And just survived a shopping trip with me in London ( v mobile now).
8 grandkids soon. Wow, just wow.
Hope hand-me-downs are all lined up :)
Congrats!

I have just finished reading your blog from start to what appears to be finish! I began reading it a few weeks ago after getting an offer from university to study midwifery, a long held aspiration of mine.
I was interested to see if and how your viewpoint of maternity services, or indeed the services themselves, changes over this period yet sadly things do not seem to be improving due to the short sightedness of our government and perhaps misguided guardians of purse strings.
I also have enjoyed reading about your non work related adventures and hope hubby is on the mend finally and all is well with DILs pregnancy. It is a great shame you are clearly far too busy spinning numerous plates to blog but hopefully you can at some point.
Thankyou for your honest and entertaining insight into your work and personal life and all the best to you and yours for the future :)
Kindest regards, jen

Jen – Thank you for your lovely comment. I hope that I haven’t finished blogging but I have to admit that I do have problems fitting everything in! Hubby has no pain but still has one leg that is numb. DIL is growing, hugely. I have, shame to report, attempted to talk her into a CS, but she has declined!

I have just finished reading your blog from start to what appears to be finish! I began reading it a few weeks ago after getting an offer from university to study midwifery, a long held aspiration of mine.
I was interested to see if and how your viewpoint of maternity services, or indeed the services themselves, changes over this period yet sadly things do not seem to be improving due to the short sightedness of our government and perhaps misguided guardians of purse strings.
I also have enjoyed reading about your non work related adventures and hope hubby is on the mend finally and all is well with DILs pregnancy. It is a great shame you are clearly far too busy spinning numerous plates to blog but hopefully you can at some point.
Thankyou for your honest and entertaining insight into your work and personal life and all the best to you and yours for the future :)
Kindest regards, jen x